first pulled pork attempt and Without a GURU..

toomsdpt · June 2007

Ok guys, I am going to attempt my VERY FIRST butt for an overnight cook tonight. I intend to buy a boston butt tonight, throw some mustard on it followed by some dizzy dust. Then get egg stable at 250ish and throw the butt on for the overnight cook. Plan on first to clean out all old lump and fill to the top with new lump. Weekend Warrior. Put biggest chunks in the middle.[p]AND I plan on doing all this WITHOUT the help of a guru. Im crossing my fingers here and hoping for the best. Probably get a smaller butt. Maybe 8 pounder. [p]Advice is welcome and your support is appreciated.

Painter · June 2007

toomsdpt,
You'll be fine. I'd stabilize your fire at your desired temp with the plate setter in place, if using, for a couple of hrs. before adding meat. Then just trust your egg to come back up to temp. Don't mess with the settings or you will be chasing them around too much. Then the only thing to do for insurance is wiggle clear the lower grate holes of ash before turning in. Good Luck.
Bob

toomsdpt · June 2007

Painter,[p]
good advice.. I will do. Then hopefully I will fall asleep stress free

Big Brick · June 2007

toomsdpt,
My only suggestion would be to inject before starting to cook. All night cooking has proven to long for me in the past. Even injecting with creole butter and cooking at 250 I've found that 6 to 7 hours and butt is fall off the bone. Starting with a clean fire box full of lump will hold 250 degress steady for at least 8 to 9 hours or longer depending on what lump is used. Without injecting all night cook ( 10 to 12hrs ) seems to dry out the meat.

thirdeye · June 2007

toomsdpt,[p]Don't sweat it. Ceramic cookers are at their best with a full load of good fuel. [p]Catch your target temp on the way up. Let the fire get established and the smoke settle down before adding your butt. (I would most likely put two on, since you have a fire going anyway) If any edges of the butt is beyond the edge of the platesetter, I make a little foil shield under the butt until it shrinks up some. Any vent adjustments in the first couple of hours should be small ones, and wait a while for the settings to have any effect on temperatures. I have a wiggle rod on hand if needed to stimulate airflow. I most always give the lump a wiggle sometime after the 8th hour of the cook.[p]On a butt that size, I plan on 16 hours. It is like a magic number on my Egg. At about the estimated halfway point I stick the meat with a cable thermometer to see where I am at and to keep an eye on the plateau. If the color gets too dark for my tastes I will either tent with foil or do a full wrap with the top still open. If I need to speed up the cook I will wrap in foil and seal when the butt internal is 170° or above, then finish cooking until the internal is 195° or above.[p]Rest it at least an hour or two (if you have the time) in an insulated cooler.[p]~thirdeye~

Unknown · June 2007

toomsdpt, is spite of the way you build the fire, your temp may drop way down during the night. To be safe, set your alarm to check on it about every four hours during the night. Won't take long to run outside to check temp, come back in, reset alarm and go back to sleep. That is, YOU are the guru.

Unknown · June 2007

thirdeye,
"I have a wiggle rod on hand if needed to stimulate airflow. I most always give the lump a wiggle sometime after the 8th hour of the cook."[p]Thirdeye what we talking about here? Is this a special rod?[p]

SmokinGuitarPlayer · June 2007

toomsdpt,
you don't need a Guru. You will be fine.
It will take 12 hours plus for sure ... I try to get my dome to around 260 to 275 and go to bed.... the last few times, it fell to 200 by morning ..no problem ..just open things up and get temps up and wait for 200 internal in the meat and you are done and it'll be fabulous!!!

thirdeye · June 2007

<p />okiesmokie,[p]Sort of. A long time ceramic cooking guy, Char~Woody, fashioned an aluminum rod to slip in the lower vent door of his cooker and reach up through the lower grate holes. He found that a gentle wiggle will release ash and promote airflow. He called it a wiggle rod and the name stuck. C~W is the dude that convinced me to buy my first Egg.[p]Here is how he described making one in a clip from a post back in 2001[p]...take a wire coat hanger and bend it straight..Nip off the ends with a cutter, pliers, etc. Bend a 90 degree angle about 3 inches long on the end. Just make it long enough so you can insert it in the ash vent, and stick the wire up thru the grate holes..Just wiggle it a bit till you see hot ash fall down. Do this in several places, and then close up the lower vent to a 1/8 or less gap. This should get ya thru the night easily..
Cheers
C~W[p]Lawn Ranger makes and sells one with a custom wooden handle, I have homemade ones with T handles to hang between the slats of my table, and many folks use ordinary things like a coat hanger to make them.[p]~thirdeye~

tach18k · June 2007

toomsdpt,
I have done many without a Guru, make sure the temp is 250 and then dome. I dont get picky on lump as long as it is all fresh and dry.

The Virginian · June 2007

toomsdpt,
Don't just cross your fingers, you really should get up once or twice in the night to check on the temp. Sometimes the Eggs go out, though if you stabilize it at 250 that will probably not be an issue. The more likely problem is that you may have temperature creep, and wake up with temps in the 325-350 range. Whether that happens depends on a lot of things and can differ from Egg to Egg, so until you know better how your particular Egg functions under these conditions, I recommend more active monitoring. I speak as someone who has had Eggs go out in the middle of the night, and been up to 350 when I rose with the morning. [p]Brett

Unknown · June 2007

thirdeye,thanks a lot will try it

first pulled pork attempt and Without a GURU..

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